Last weekend, we took a mini-vacation in New Orleans to attend a friend’s wedding. The wedding was fabulous, capped by the quintessential New Orleans experience of dancing down Bourbon street in a Second Line parade, complete with brass band!

Of course, while I was there, I sought out a few new acquaintances of the four-legged variety. While the rest of our crew was off eating oysters, I wandered around the French Quarter and discovered a few interesting doggie destinations and made some new friends.

My first discovery was NOLA Dogs, a dog bakery and purveyor of fine pet products located on Royal Street. This is a great place to stop by and grab a special something for your best friend–especially when you had to leave her at home . . .

Our next discovery was a charming gallery just down the street called Swamp Dog & Friends. It features fine art photography with a canine twist. A lot of the photos also feature a New Orleans regional theme – think cocktail lounges, alligators and swamps! This is a fun stop for dog lovers visiting the French Quarter.

Just look for the gallery on Royal Street with the bright blue pirogue (a type of Cajun marsh boat).

While walking around the Quarter, you’re never far from the mule-drawn carriages that pick up passengers at Jackson Square. As you might know from my blog posts, I luv mules! I didn’t take a tour, but by the time I left New Orleans, I had started recognizing some of my favorite mules. This guy was particularly curious about my camera.

Finally, I met some new doggie friends, including Jacques!!

Jacques is a French Mastiff and New Orleans native. He enjoys people watching from his home in the French Quarter and dressing up in fancy costumes. (I’m sure he’s looking forward to Halloween!) See if you can spot him in the Swamp Dogs photo gallery, Lounge Hounds of New Orleans, which is going to be published in an upcoming book.

Despite his celebrity status here in the Crescent City, Jacques always has a kind lick for passersby. Although I did notice him eyeing my fedora hat that I had just purchased . . . apparently, he thought it was his.

Thank you! I stopped for a break at this amazing restaurant called Sylvain, in the French Quarter, where I stopped to have a Ramos Gin Fizz – a New Orleans cocktail that tastes like a gin version of an egg cream soda…